It was a disappointing defeat at Liverpool for Arsenal but at least the loss to the European Champions on their own ground is kind of calculated in, unlike a home loss to a team that could easily be fighting relegation.
Manchester United’s home defeat to Crystal Palace and Spurs losing to Newcastle United at the Tottenham Stadium does put Arsenal loss at Anfield into perspective.
Before the season started Arsenal fans would have looked at the Liverpool fixture and probably accepted that is a game that will end in defeat, whereas United and Spurs fans would have seen their respective games over the weekend as guaranteed three-pointers.
I am not crowing over the losses that United and Spurs had because we lost as well but I am saying that the damage to Arsenal this weekend is far less than the damage our rivals for a top-four spot have incurred and we can take comfort in that.
The game against Spurs at the weekend takes on even more importance now because a win will see Arsenal go five points clear of Tottenham and while it is still very early in the season that is definitely a nice gap to have.
Losing away at Anfield does not undermine the progress that Arsenal is seeking but losing at home to Burnley last week would have and so as things stand right now, Arsenal are doing ok in comparison to most of our rivals.